Andy Holding's Tuesday Racing Tips

Some fairly useful fillies on show in this competitive handicap of its kind, but a chance is taken on EXISTENTIAL (best price 3-1) who has at least shown on two occasions that she knows her way around the Midland venue. On her first visit to Colwick Park, Clive Cox’s filly ran out an impressive ten length victor over a well-regarded William Haggas-trained colt who went on to score tidily at Haydock subsequently and although she failed in her bid to repeat the dose two months later, a combination of soft underfoot conditions over 1m2f and racing on the slowest part of the track in the home straight put paid to any chance she might have had behind runaway winner Collide. Obviously, there’s plenty of guesswork involved with a filly that’s been off the track for 195 days, but at least she has conditions in her favour and hails from a yard hitting top form to make her a viable proposition at her morning odds.

NAVIGATE BY STARS (best price 10-3) had very little chance coping with the highly-promising Telecaster (previously runner-up to Derby aspirant Bangkok) at Windsor on her seasonal return last time out, but she did more than enough to suggest she’s trained on and can pay her way in low-grade handicaps.

Promising in a couple of outings in useful maidens towards the backend of last season, not much was expected of Tom Dascombe’s filly on her return to action at Windsor two weeks ago, but in belying her 33-1 price tag, she stayed on eye-catchingly to finish a never-nearer fourth in what should turn out to be a decent contest to follow. Time figure-wise, the race in question at the Berkshire venue was pretty smart, and having shaped as though she will be all the better for that initial effort, she’s fancied to take advantage of what looks a fair opening handicap mark of just 70 over a track that should suit her long stride.

All the talk in the build up to this contest has been about Cheltenham winner A Plus Tard and RSA Chase third Delta Work, but it may be folly to leave GETABIRD (best price 4-1) out of calculations given that he’s shown a high level of form over fences himself and he’s pretty deadly when racing right-handed.

A high-class hurdler, Willie Mullins’ gelding has always looked chaser in the making and he wasted no time in providing that theory current with a dazzling display on debut over today’s course back in December. Jumping well from the start, the seven-year-old beat two useful opponents in the shape of subsequent Arkle third Articulum and Red Rum Chase hero Moon Over Germany very easily and with his time figure also pointing towards a performance of the highest class, a bright season in this division appeared a formality. Upped in trip and tackling Grade 1 company for the first time over fences at Limerick later in the same month, the son of Getaway looked to have the race in safekeeping until a bad mistake at the last presented the race on a plate to his main market rival, Hardline. Not seen out since, the seven-year-old arrives here fresher than most and even though he has to prove himself over today’s three-mile trip, let’s not forget he’s a former point-to-point winner and he was still travelling with the utmost ease over 2m4f here last year when getting brought to a standstill at the second last in the big Grade 1 novice hurdle event. Of his main market rivals, A Plus Tard also has to prove himself beyond 2m4f and Delta Work will have to cut out the kind of errors that cost him dear in the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.